The latest deals make it 21 players who have committed their futures to the province in recent months.

Frank Murphy had a frustrating season with Connacht having suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in the first away game away to Zebre back in September.

The injury resulted in the scrum half being sidelined for the remainder of the season, but Murphy has been working extremely hard in rehab for the last eight months and will be fighting fit for the beginning of pre-season in early June.

From Crosshaven, County Cork, Murphy joined Connacht in 2008 and is currently just four games shy of reaching the 100 caps milestone for the province.

The former UCC skipper, who has captained Connacht on a number of occasions, has penned a one-year deal with the westerners.

Mata Fifita has also put pen to paper on a one-year contract. The 24-year-old Tongan first signed for Connacht Rugby last summer when he was picked straight from Ulster Bank League club Sligo.

Despite a knee injury that kept him out of action for a number of weeks, Fifita played eleven games for Connacht this season, including two Heineken Cup fixtures, and also had a significant involvement with the Eagles side in this year's British & Irish Cup.

Fifita came to Sligo at the beginning of the 2008 season when he played in the back row. He was soon tried in the centre - a transition he made with ease.

In Connacht's last three games, however, the versatile player has been brought on from the bench to cover the back row and has once again proven himself in this position. He has re-signed for the province as a back row forward.

The final re-signing this season is centre Brian Murphy. The 27-year-old from Headford made his senior debut for Connacht against the Cardiff Blues, playing a superb role in the 26-22 win at Cardiff Arms Park - the first victory there in over 12 years.

He held on to that starting berth for the remaining six games of the season and his performances earned him the Player of the Month award for March.

Murphy joined Connacht last summer after his form with Ulster Bank League side Galwegians earned him a development contract with the province. He now progresses to a one year senior contract.

Commenting on the recent re-signings, Connacht CEO Tom Sears said: "We are very pleased that Frank, Mata and Brian will be with us next season and all have a significant role to play.

"Frank has endured a tough year with injury but will be desperate to make up for lost time. Mata and Brian enjoyed a good start to their careers with Connacht and have shown they have what it takes to make a real contribution to the squad and they will no doubt build on successful first seasons."

The following 21 players have all signed new contracts with Connacht recently:

The countdown is on to the Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23. Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens & Women's Rugby, previews what promises to be an exciting couple of days.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Jenny Murphy talks about the progress made by the Ireland Women's Sevens team and their pool draw for the upcoming Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Conor Murray and Tommy Bowe speak to Irish Rugby TV about their Rugby World Cup preparations and thank the thousands of supporters who came out to see the players at the open training session at the Sportsground.

Ireland captain Paul O'Connell gives his verdict on the team's new Rugby World Cup jersey and talks about his move to French club Toulon. Ireland's RWC 2015 range is available to pre-order now from http://shop.irishrugby.ie.

Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens, talks about the target of a top three finish for both the Ireland Men and Women in Lisbon this weekend, as they continue on their quests for Olympic qualification.

Tom Daly, who recently captained the Ireland Men's Sevens team to the European Division C and B titles, is looking forward to playing in this weekend's Rugby Europe Olympic Repechage tournament in Lisbon, Portugal.

Ireland will host the 'Women's Sevens Dublin' at UCD on Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23. Tournament director Garrett Tubridy and Ireland stars Lucy Mulhall, Jenny Murphy and Louise Galvin speak about their excitement ahead of the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series qualifier.

Coach Allen Clarke and stand-in captain Billy Holland answer questions from the media following Emerging Ireland's 45-12 victory over Georgia in the final round of their successful Tbilisi Cup campaign.

Emerging Ireland coach Allen Clarke speaks about his side's five-try 33-7 win over Uruguay in the Tbilisi Cup and the first half injury to captain Rhys Ruddock. They wrap up the tournament against hosts Georgia on Sunday.

Speaking about the floods that occurred following the Tbilisi Cup's first round, Emerging Ireland team manager Joey Miles said: "A natural event like that, a tragedy like that puts the game of rugby into perspective. We express our regrets to the Georgian people and the Georgian Union for the terrible tragedy that they had."

David O'Reilly from the IRFU Charitable Trust's Corporate Patrons Committee speaks about the new scheme which provides businesses with unique networking opportunities and provides a platform for companies to effectively activate their CSR programmes. For further information, please contact Linda Black of the Charitable Trust - telephone (01) 6473866 or email: linda.black@irfu.ie / http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/34728.php.